Category: 3. Business

Plan aligns with goals identified in City Plan: Nanaimo ReImagined

NEWS RELEASE

– Distributed December 19, 2025 9:00 AM

Summary

At their meeting on Dec. 15, 2025, Nanaimo City Council passed three readings of the City’s 2026-2030 Provisional Financial Plan. The plan invests in services and infrastructure to support a growing community of over 100,000 with more than $4.8 billion (2021) worth of assets and includes the following highlights:

A Green Nanaimo – Resilient and Regenerative Ecosystems

• Nanaimo Aquatic Centre Dehumidification Improvement project to renew end-of-life assets while incorporating components that significantly reduce the facility’s greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions at the same time.
• Continued investments in climate action projects including Building Benchmarking, Cool It! Program and the Community Environmental Sustainability Project Grant Program.

A Connected Nanaimo – Equitable Access & Mobility

• Investments to strengthen an inclusive and accessible transportation network, including increased funding for active transportation projects, secure bike parking facilities and pedestrian improvements such as flashers, audible signals and new sidewalks.

A Healthy Nanaimo – Community Wellbeing & Livability

• Continuing a commitment to public safety with the addition of four Community Safety Officers and 12 new RCMP members phased over three years (2025 to 2027).
• Continued funding in the LEAP program to ensure equitable access to recreation programs and facilities for children, youth and families.
• Investment in the renewal and construction of new recreational amenities including new washroom facilities at Maffeo Sutton Park, Phase 3 improvements at Westwood Lake Park, a new amenity building, dock and park amenities at Loudon Park and continued investment in the Stadium District.

An Empowered Nanaimo – Reconciliation, Representation & Inclusion

• Investment in arts and culture including operating grants to support cultural venues and funding for the Temporary Public Art Program and specific installations or renewals in the Stadium District, Colliery Dam Park, Mansfield Park and Harewood Park.
• Ongoing support for events to recognize National Indigenous Peoples Day and the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation.

A Prosperous Nanaimo – Thriving & Resilient Economy

• Continued funding for the Nanaimo Prosperity Corporation and Tourism Nanaimo.
• Investment in the development of a multi-year technology roadmap and digital strategy to guide secure, transparent and cost-effective adoption of new technologies and support the implementation of tech-based services to streamline City processes.

The 2026 provisional budget includes the following:

• Property tax increase of 6.3 per cent including a one per cent increase for the General Asset Management Reserve, equivalent to $195 for a household with an assessed value of $787,743.
• Water user fee increase of five per cent, equivalent to $26
• Sewer user fee increase of four per cent, equivalent to $6
• Solid waste user fee increase of five per cent, equivalent to $12

This equals to an annual increase of $239 or roughly $19.92 per month in taxes and fees for a typical household.

Council will have opportunities to review and amend the Financial Plan in April 2026 before adopting the 2026 Property Tax Rates Bylaw. For more information on the 2026-2030 Provisional Financial Plan, please visit www.nanaimo.ca/goto/budget.

Link to Strategic Plan: The 2026-2030 Provisional Financial Plan supports the City’s progress towards achieving the five City goals identified in City Plan: Nanaimo ReImagined.

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Print News Release

To principal accountable persons and buildings owners,

The Building Safety Regulator (BSR) is making you aware of a potential structural safety issue affecting reinforced concrete buildings constructed with ‘transfer slabs’.

We are working with industry experts and the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) to better understand the extent of the risk, and how the risk can be identified and managed proportionately in existing buildings.

We are issuing this information to enable building owners to take proportionate steps to manage the safety of their buildings.

What transfer slabs are

A transfer slab is a floor arrangement where a column sits on top of a slab, but does not have a supporting column directly beneath it. The slab acts to support the load from the column and spreads it to the supporting columns below.

This design feature has been used in the UK for over 25 years, particularly in mixed-use developments where the column grid changes between floors. Not all construction of this nature will have issues. See more in the ‘important information’ section.

The potential issue with transfer slabs

In November 2024, guidance on the design of transfer slabs was published by the Institution of Structural Engineers. While this provides a robust basis for new construction, it raises some questions on the adequacy of historic engineering design methods in existing buildings.

Specifically, there is a concern regarding “punching shear in transfer slabs,” a failure mechanism where a high concentration of load causes a column to punch through a reinforced concrete transfer slab. This may result in a collapse in part of a building. Although, we are not aware of any building collapse caused by this in the UK.

Transfer slabs in residential buildings

The presence of a transfer slab alone should not require a building to be decanted. It is likely that further assessment considering other risk factors will be needed to determine if there is a risk to building residents.

Where there are visible signs of distress (for example, cracking) or specific concerns regarding the building’s condition and/or design, building owners should seek professional advice.

Decanting a residential building has a substantial impact on residents and should be weighed against the level of risk in the building. Building owners should work to ensure residents can remain in their homes where it is safe to do so.

We will be providing further advice in due course on this issue, and we ask that building owners stay informed.

What BSR is doing about transfer slabs

Fulfilling our legal duty to keep the safety of buildings under review, BSR commissioned independent research in late 2024 to establish the level of structural risk associated with transfer slabs and consulted our Building Advisory Committee (BAC). This work is ongoing and has been done in close cooperation with MHCLG.

We are currently working with industry partners and our BAC to better understand how the risk can be identified and proportionately managed in existing buildings.

Both BSR and MHCLG are committed to a proportionate response and will provide further updates via regular BSR bulletins and the BSR campaign website.

12/19/25

HAYS, Kan. – Fort Hays State University’s Department of Nursing is expanding opportunities for advanced practice nurses with its Doctor of Nursing Practice (MSN to DNP) pathway, an affordable, flexible, and highly personalized program designed to elevate clinical leaders and improve healthcare outcomes across communities.

The program is tailored for nurses who already hold a Master of Science in Nursing and serve in advanced practice roles such as Nurse Practitioners, Nurse Anesthetists, or Nurse Midwives. Students complete 30 credit hours (33 if they have not taken a graduate level statistics course), with coursework offered fully online.

MSN-to-DNP students are not required to come to campus but are invited to visit the FHSU campus to present their formal DNP project. The date coincides with graduation. In spite of being an online program, students work closely with faculty. There are times throughout the program when students are asked to participate in virtual synchronous activities. These are typically communicated at the beginning of each semester, allowing students to plan accordingly. In addition, faculty are available for virtual meetings throughout the semester.

A hallmark of FHSU’s MSN-to-DNP pathway is its emphasis on real-world application. Students complete a minimum of 600 project hours while developing and implementing an evidence-based quality improvement project that addresses a specific clinical or community health need. With a low 4:1 student-to-faculty ratio in project courses, participants receive individualized guidance from experienced faculty who are active practitioners and researchers.

“What really appeals to people about this program is that the focus is to improve outcomes for patients, to really make an impact on better patient care and outcomes through the quality improvement process,” said Dr. Michelle Van Der Wege, associate professor of Nursing and DNP program coordinator. “It helps you build leadership skills to effectively navigate change in healthcare.”

The program’s sequential course design ensures each class builds on the last, gradually guiding students toward a complete project proposal and final DNP project paper. This structured approach supports deep learning, reflective practice, and meaningful leadership development. Students gain expertise in data analysis, evidence-based decision-making, and system-level improvement, skills essential for advancing modern healthcare.

Van Der Wege said that the pathway is especially appealing for working clinicians. “If you are someone who is already a practicing nurse practitioner or CRNA, the program will help you build skills to make positive changes in healthcare. It puts knowledge into practice to find ways to help improve outcomes,” she said.

Ideal candidates for the program include advanced practice registered nurses seeking career advancement, working APRNs needing a flexible schedule, and clinicians committed to improving quality and safety in healthcare settings. Projects may be conducted in clinical or community environments, and students begin shaping their ideas early with support from faculty and local stakeholders.

Van Der Wege emphasized that FHSU’s faculty bring relevant, up-to-date expertise directly to students. “All of our faculty members have current or recent clinical practice, so we understand what is going on in the real world,” she said. “To maintain our licenses and certifications, we are required to have a considerable number of continuing education hours that help us keep in touch with what is happening in healthcare.”

Unlike traditional clinical programs, FHSU’s MSN to DNP pathway does not require preceptored clinical hours. Instead, students engage directly in leadership and quality improvement work, applying research to practice through immersive, hands-on initiatives.

FHSU remains committed to providing high-quality education at an affordable cost. The total estimated tuition for the MSN to DNP pathway is approximately $14,018.70, based on 30 required credit hours at the FHSU Online tuition rate. Tuition and fees are subject to annual approval by the Kansas Board of Regents.

Graduates of the program are prepared to lead change, influence clinical outcomes, and stay at the forefront of evolving evidence-based practice.

All students are accepted for a summer start. The next cohort begins in June 2026. Those who begin the MSN to DNP pathway in June 2026 will graduate in May 2028.

More information can be found at: https://www.fhsu.edu/programs/nursing-practice/msn-dnp